Hi, I am a newbie!

[JackieOnLine]

hello, glad you found us!

 

[MamaShelia]

Hi and welcome. Not only is it a "thing" I revised from RNY(2002) to DS in December of 2012. I also had a micro-pouch. It was one of the smallest Dr. Keshishian said he had seen. It sure did not keep me from gaining almost all of the weight I had lost with RNY surgery.

This is not a cookie cutter procedure. I can not stress enough how important it is to go to a vetted DS revision surgeon. Like some I had surgical complications and without the benefit of Dr. K's expertise and ability to "Macgiver" a fix for my situation I may not be here today.

Best,
Whitney

Hey Whitney and thanks!

First, let me say, that I am so sorry to hear about your experience. I am so sorry that it all happened to you--all of it, because I understand the baggage that comes with it, but I am so grateful that you are alive and well and thriving--you're beautiful! Thank God for Macgyvers!

I did not mean to sound flippant in my porginal post, note ever, except when I am being flippant! I am taking this all in and very seriously mulling over a LOT of things. In a 15 year nutshell, we were a military family, now retired, I had the surgery done in NC, with a one week follow up and had lost 11 pounds, so that made it a success, right? The rest of the follow ups were done at my local doctor (the place where I had it was over 2 hours from the base where we were stationed and we moved about 22 months later.) I hadn't lost much weight by the time we moved, but I had also started grad school and my husband was deployed, so I thought it was my fault, although I was eating next to nothing and was up exercising with the Marines! And then the health issues began. I thought I had failed my procedure, never that the doctor had failed me, so the procedure became a "nonissue," something that I had done and now all of the other health issues I would just have to deal with. See, I should have listened to all of the naysayers who told me not to do it in the first place!

And it took quite a few years before I, or even any of my doctors (because we were moving from place to place) ever really connected all of my GI problems to the gastric procedure. Because they were GI doctors, not bariatric specialists..they had a semester of bariatrics like I had a semester of calculus in college, and I would never try to teach that to anyone..my insides were different because of the procedure, as they would expect, but it was something to be worked around, not to be figured out and corrected. And I accepted that as my lot. At that time, early 2000s, the bypass was still fairly new to the masses, (think Carly Wilson's first time) to most who were not in the bariatric field and dealing with a patient a few years post op who did not look like you should internally, was thought to be more of a, "See, this is why this procedure should not be done, " not, "This is a very useful procedure that could help thousands when done properly."

They looked at my (5) colonoscopies and my (4) endoscopies, (in my late 30s) including a camera endoscopy, and they just knew that something was wrong, but thought it was a byproduct of ANY gastric bypass procedure, not one that was done improperly. I didn't even find out until 2005 that my surgeon had lost his license, changed his name and moved away (not that I blamed him even then, I blamed myself and chalked it all up to another failed attempt) but my mother had just passed and we were evacuating from Hurricane Katrina so a five year old surgery that was probably the root of all GI issues that I had been experiencing and had been dealing with, was news that I had some knowledge of, but could not follow up on at that time.

So, gastroenterologically speaking, I would have periods of good months and horrible months, and life went on. Until my sister started talking about WLS earlier this Spring, I went to the old website (now OH, which was AMOS when I used to be on it), mainly seeking information for her and came across and started reading posts about revisions, and I was floored! It had never occurred to me that it could be reversed, or fixed, or changed! And then I had to fight my head about whether or not it was worth it for me to look into it, try it, seek it out...or would I just fail it again...

I contacted my friend in NC who had been my co leader in a support group we had started there, and also was the one who found me to email me about my old surgeon's outcomes and she said that she had started to seek one for herself, in 2012, but our insurer, Tri Care had a once in a lifetime clause that they had just implemented. Dagnabbiit, just my luck!

But as I began a new school year, and open enrollment was available, I looked into my work's insurance and was told that they covered bariatric surgery, did not have a once in a life time clause, and that the >50 BMI was just for the initial surgeries, so I snatched it up and began to look around and here I am now. Sort of a whirlwind.

So, my language may seem flippant, or as if I am not taking it as seriously as it should be, but believe me, I am. I have researched on my own, but love to hear valuable information from my peers, and so I am open--and I am listening!

Thanks for your words of wisdom!

 

[MamaShelia]

hello, glad you found us!

Hi Jackie, and thank you! I love your snowy white owl! =0)

 

[Whit]

Thanks for sharing your story. I never for one moment you were being flippant. This is a great board with lots of genuine people again welcome.

 

[Larra]

Shelial, the more I learn about your incorrectly (and deceptively) done prior surgery and all the problems it has caused you, the stronger I believe your case for revision is. Of course this doesn't mean that Cigna won't issue a denial, but you have lots of great material to appeal with if that happens. I hope you have records of all the crap you've been through, or that you can get such records. The more documentation of things like never having lost a significant amount of weight, GI symptoms, findings on endoscoies, etc, the stronger your case.
Do you have your old operative note from the original surgery? If not, the hospital where it was done should still have it in your records. Dr. Ayoola, or any other surgeon considering revising your surgery, will want this, and you may also need it if we get into appeals, so get it now if you don't already have it. And personally, I'd love to know what that crackpot said he did.

 

[MamaShelia]

Thanks for sharing your story. I never for one moment you were being flippant. This is a great board with lots of genuine people again welcome.

 

[MamaShelia]

Shelial, the more I learn about your incorrectly (and deceptively) done prior surgery and all the problems it has caused you, the stronger I believe your case for revision is. Of course this doesn't mean that Cigna won't issue a denial, but you have lots of great material to appeal with if that happens. I hope you have records of all the crap you've been through, or that you can get such records. The more documentation of things like never having lost a significant amount of weight, GI symptoms, findings on endoscoies, etc, the stronger your case.
Do you have your old operative note from the original surgery? If not, the hospital where it was done should still have it in your records. Dr. Ayoola, or any other surgeon considering revising your surgery, will want this, and you may also need it if we get into appeals, so get it now if you don't already have it. And personally, I'd love to know what that crackpot said he did.

Larra,

It is stated as an RNY on the Op notes. Don't get me started....!

Yes, I began to gather as many of my medical records as I could as soon as I was sure this was something that I wanted to pursue (one of my GI docs in another state lost several notes, film, etc to a fire) but yeah, that's why I am not too concerned with an appeal, other than wishing we lived in a society where some didn't ruin it for all and you receive the support and care from your insurance companies that you pay for and expect to receive. My notes and experiences would speak for themselves outside of going through appeals, but yes, we are gearing up for the fight.

I have already faxed it all over to Dr. Ayoola, weeks ago, (but will have my own copies with me, of course, never trust anyone to care about your situation as much as you do yourself!) and I am scheduled to consult with him on Tuesday afternoon and then for a EGD and a stress test on Thursday morning. My husband and I are driving down. The tear in my mesentery, which is most probably caused by my procedure, caused a slow leak and I suffered from internal bleeding for 26 months before they found the cause and that's what taxed my heart and why I now have heart issues, can't be corrected with any weight loss procedure, but any weight loss will help my heart not to be so strained.

I was looking at a doctor in MS, and he told me he could do the revision, but then told me, after reading my old op notes that an ERNY would probably be better. I said thank you so much, but I will continue to look and left his office. MsBatt reminded me that I have to have ANSAIDS for my arthritis and I have articles about the DS being the best revision for most, but certainly to do what it is supposed to do as far as weight loss and maintenance for those coming from an RNY.

So, as I said, my husband and I have agreed, if something doesn't feel right in TX, if the office is not geared up to fight for me and my case, then dust your feet and move on...we've got places to be and people to meet!

I understand the seriousness of any revision and of course there is some nervousness on that part, so I would rather not have to deal with stressing more with insurance issues, but it is what it is and I am confident that I am due an opportunity to get this right. I want to be around for my future grandchildren! Don't tell our sons I said that, neither have girlfriends right now!

 

[Larra]

Yikes! Not just a crackpot, but a dishonest crackpot.

Hopefully the description of what was done during surgery tells the real story. Even if not, an upper GI x-ray would show the true anatomy.

By now, I think I'm almost as eager to hear what Dr. Ayoola has to say as you are. But maybe not quite.

 

[MamaShelia]

Yikes! Not just a crackpot, but a dishonest crackpot.

Hopefully the description of what was done during surgery tells the real story. Even if not, an upper GI x-ray would show the true anatomy.

By now, I think I'm almost as eager to hear what Dr. Ayoola has to say as you are. But maybe not quite.

Exactly, a dishonest crackpot...with a scalpel, a degree, and hospital privileges--has to be the worse kind! I am getting pretty excited!

I am started a new thread!